The fate of intravenously administered highly purified bovine testicular hyaluronidase (Hyalosidase) in the rat.

A highly purified commercial preparation of bovine testicular hyaluronidase (GL enzyme, Hyalosidase) was labelled with 125iodine without measurable loss of enzyme activity. The labelled preparation was administered intravenously into rats and the serum half-life of hyaluronidase was determined by measurement of both radioactivity and enzyme activity. The short half-life of the enzyme in plasma could not be accounted for by excretion in the urine and bile. Tissue distribution studies showed that the major site of uptake was the liver (59.7% of the recovered dpm). This rapid uptake by the liver could be reduced significantly by the pre-administration of yeast mannan or ovalbumin (a mannose-terminated glycoprotein). This suggests that the uptake of hyaluronidase by the liver is mediated by a mannose-specific receptor. Very little radioactivity was found in the heart (0.2% of the recovered dpm).